The Sovereign Grand Commander of the Philippine Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite, Ill. Rudyardo V. Bunda, 33Â°, writes in the preface to Dimasalang: "Most Filipinos know that Rizal was a Mason, but very few are familiar with the extent of his involvement in the Fraternity." The Grand Commander goes on to note that his Supreme Council "considers this book as a meaningful contribution to the scholarship on Rizal and is proud to publish it as its share in the commemoration of the Centennial [1996] of Rizalâ€™s martyrdom."

The 1800s were tumultuous years for the Spanish monarchy. Napoleon had invaded the Iberian Peninsula earlier in the century taking the royal family into exile and installing a puppet on the throne. Revolution had racked her western hemisphere possessions, and Spain lost all of them, except Cuba and Puerto Rico, by the end of 1824. Then she lost Cuba and Puerto Rico in 1898. The economic life of Spain and her empire had been little changed by the industrial revolution. Intellectually, a sterility existed and did not change significantly until the Generation of 1898 writers and thinkers appeared.

Also, scandal tore at the very heart of the homeland when Generals Prim and Serrano removed Queen Isabel II from the throne for, among other things, gross immorality. They provided a military junta arrangement until the monarchy could be reestablished under more capable hands.

The Philippine hero was born to affluent parents in Calamba. He showed early academic promise and eventually obtained a licentiate in medicine specializing in ophthalmology. Few Masonic Lodges existed in the Philippines during Rizalâ€™s adolescence, and Lodge membership consisted primarily of European Spaniards with only a sprinkling of Philippine nationals. Rizalâ€™s uncle, Jose Alberto Alonzo, a Knight Commander of the Spanish Orders of Isabel the Catholic and Carlos III, had joined the Masonic Fraternity, possibly in Spain, certainly in Manila. Rizal lived in his uncleâ€™s home during part of his student days. Whether his uncle exercised a Masonic influence on Rizal is not clear; what is certain is that Rizal acquired a lasting positive memory of Masonry which was enhanced when he visited Naples in 1882. There he saw a multitude of posters and signs announcing the death of the great Italian patriot Giuseppe Garibaldi, a 33Â° Scottish Rite Mason who had served as Grand Master. This impressed Rizal greatly for he wrote about this Masonic encounter in a letter to his family.

In Spain the young and highly impressionable Rizal encountered an intellectual environment with far fewer restraints than the one in his native land. Here he came under the influence of a host of outstanding thinkers, many of them Freemasons. For example, Grand Master Miguel Morayta helped to expand Rizalâ€™s historical mind-set, and ex-President Francisco Pi y Margal exerted a profound influence on Rizalâ€™s political evolution. Further, these republican liberals were staunch advocates of Philippine independence. Not surprisingly, Rizal petitioned Acacia Lodge No. 9, Gran Oriente de EspaÃ±a, the very Lodge in which Morayta and Pi y Margal held membership. When initiated, Rizal selected Dimasalang as his symbolic name within the Craft, a custom prevalent at the time among Spanish Masons.

Rizal quickly became involved in Filipino expatriate circles in Spain and revealed a remarkable ability to write both poetry and prose. He soon commenced work on his famous novel Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not). In this seminal work, Rizal dissected the Philippine colonial government and placed particular blame for its repressive nature on certain religious elements. Rizal was convinced that conditions in the Philippines existed not because of Spain or the Catholic Church but because of the practices of certain regular clergy, namely Dominicans and Recollects. Spanish newspapers ran stories about the exciting Philippine firebrand, stories which soon made their way to Manila. There, government and religious authorities immediately took note and did not hesitate to label Rizal a subversive.

Bro. Rizal departed Spain in July 1885 to further his ophthalmology studies in France and Germany. For the next two years, he met and associated with the leading minds of Paris, Leipzig, Berlin, and Heidelberg. It was a heady atmosphere for the young Brother, and Masons in Germany, Dr. Rudolf Virchow and Dr. Feodor Jagor, were instrumental in his becoming a member of the Berlin Ethnological and Anthropological Societies. While in Germany, Rizal acquired additional Masonic Degrees.

When his novel Noli Me Tangere, came off the press in Europe, Rizal sent copies to, among others, the Governor-General of the Philippines and the Archbishop of Manila. The Governor-General, Emilio Terrero y Perinat, a 33Â° Mason, represented no problem, and he protected Rizal upon his return to the islands and for as long as he held the Governor-Generalship. The Archbishop, however, presented a problem which did not go away. Rizal had become increasingly convinced of his need to campaign in person for reform in the Philippines as opposed to propagandizing from afar. His friends cautioned him not to return but failed to dissuade the idealist. On August 5, 1887, Dr. Rizal stepped ashore in Manila.

udtohan

mas nice unta bro if rizal was active.... rizal was just priviliged to be part of many orgs he involved in.... because he belonged to family of businessmen. how about our poor filipinos then? like andres bonifacio? did he become part of the org? never! because he was poor.

udtohan

the belief that mary magdalene was jesus soulmate/wife appeared also in wiccan and some gnostic beliefs... that they lived in france daw...mao ni usa sa mga esoteric belief nila or part sa ilang secret teachings...

Was Mary Magdalene the wife of Jesus Christ?Much attention has been given lately to Mary Magdalene and her relationship with Jesus. There are questions concerning her role as a female disciple and what that may mean for women in the Church. Controversy exists over whether or not she may have actually been the wife of Jesus. Lies have been told about her profession before becoming a follower of Christ. There is debate about whether or not she is the author of the Gospel of John. â€œThe Gospel of Maryâ€ has been found and its validity contested. This beloved disciple of Christ was obviously important to Him. What does the role of Mary Magdalene as a venerated disciple of Jesus Christ say about the place of women in ministry?

Many Christians know this contentious figure as Mary Magdalene, the Prostitute. However, this was neither her name nor her profession. Mary Magdaleneâ€™s name was actually Miriam. She was from the village of Magdala. Magdala was a tiny fishing village on the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee, an area we know Jesus evangelized. No place in the text of the New Testament does it say that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. This myth was started in the 6th century by Pope St. Gregory I. He stated that both Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany were the same woman and that she was also the â€œwoman of sinâ€ mentioned in Luke 7. From then on, Mary Magdalene was known as a prostitute. Professor Christopher Witcombe writes, â€œIt has been suggested that Gregory I's transformation of Mary Magdalen into a prostitute was a way of countering the problem she posed for the Church. Since the 2nd century, as Christianity became institutionalized along increasingly patriarchal lines, the prominence of Mary Magdalen had posed the threat of sanctioning a leadership role for women in the Church.â€

In the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, women are not allowed to become priests. Father Alister Anderson of Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Bethesda, Maryland pronounces, â€œOnly a man can be ordained as a deacon, priest or bishop because Jesus the perfect Man chose only men to be His disciples and apostles.â€ This would view would make it difficult for Orthodox and Catholic believers to agree that Mary Magdalene had an important role as an apostle or that she wrote a Gospel containing information as valuable as the four Gospels that we find in the New Testament.

â€œThe Gospel of Mary Magdalaâ€ is a non-fiction book by Karen King of the Harvard Divinity School. According to Jane Lampman, staff writer for the Christian Science Monitor, â€œ. . . this gospel, written in the second century, tells of a conversation among Mary, Peter, Andrew, and Levi about a teaching Jesus gave to Mary on the end of the material world and the nature of sin. It highlights Mary's role as an apostle and Peter's resistance to her role.â€ As I researched this Gospel of Mary Magdala, I found that much of the text was missing. Seeing that, I understood a much better reason for not including it in the Canon. I donâ€™t doubt that misogyny could have been part of the reason that we are just now finding out things about Mary Magdalene, but the truth is that even her own Gospel doesnâ€™t give us a complete view of her time with Jesus.

The popularity of the book The DaVinci Code has led to questions about whether or not Mary Magdalene was actually the wife of Jesus. In the research that I have done, I could not find anything substantial that would lead me to believe that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married. I agree that Mary Magdalene was extremely special to have been the first to see the resurrected Christ. Her relationship with Jesus was deep and He obviously had a great love for her. Their evident relationship proves to me that women have great value in the eyes of God.

Jesus treated His female followers with same respect and love that He showed His male disciples. Mary Magdalene may not have written the Gospel of John, but she was the first to see Him resurrected. She may not have been one of the twelve disciples, but she followed Him closely and was very dear to Him. While here on Earth we may never know the truth about the mysteries and myths associated with Mary Magdalene, we can be sure that her close following of Jesus and her deep relationship with Him speaks volumes about Jesus view women.

Logged

udtohan

many regards understanding as more important than faith. We find that people today need to satisfy their intellect, in addition to their beliefs, where traditional religions do not address this issue. A lack of understanding can impede one's spiritual growth... but so much knowledge is also a dangerous thing....

If one examines the anatomy of the Philippine Revolution, one dileneates the multiple forms of Les Revolutionaires. Men such as Rizal, Del Pilar and the like were the literarians that provided the intellectual and written source to spurn the mind; to motivate those who were despondent against the Colonial Government.

These men were the propagandists that championed social and economic reforms; they were the Voltaires, the Lockes, the Montesquieu's of their times. They were the ones that challenged the arguments of the prevailing ruling class and questioned the feasibility of the status quo. Change, ultimately, was their main goal.

Men such as Aguinaldo, Bonifacio and the like were militant. They took the helm of the revolution and utilized the death of men such as Rizal (as well as the arrests of many propagandists) as the culmination of Philippine Arguments and the eruption of Militant Revolution. Men such as Bonifacio and Aguinaldo wanted change; their goal was the total severance of political relations with Spain.

One must note that during the late 19th century, Leo, there were hundreds of Filipino students studying in Europe; thousands of Filipinos living there. Many of these students and intellectuals championed the Filipino rights; perhaps not as loud as Rizal and his fellow compatriots, but it was manifested nonetheless.

One major and hot issue they had was to stay with Spain as a colony, become a provincia, and even the radical alternative of breaking with the Spanish 'Motherland' as many referred Spain in the past.

Rizal was not the radical type; he wanted the Philippines to remain a part of Spain, but a province of Spain. With that, he wanted the reduction of power the Church had. And guaranteed human egalitarianism throughout the islands.

The man was a brilliant idealist. I would compare him with the likes of the Great Voltaire.

Well said. There is a quote by the great Martin Luther King Jr. that addresses this exact issue and I would like to share it with all of you.

"Soft mindedness often invades religion. Soft minded persons have revised the Beatitudes to read "Blessed are the pure in ignorance: for they shall see God." This has led to a widespread belief that there is a conflict between science and religion. But this is not true. There may be a conflict between soft minded religionists and tough minded scientists, but not between science and religion. Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge which is power; religion gives man wisdom which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals. They are complementary."

-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.("Letter From A Birmingham Jail" April 16, 1963)